The Shark and the Weasel
by LRussiaKidShiinaTobi
Summary: Itachi and Kisame have been partners for a long time. But could there be something more? [KisameXItachi. OOC at times. My friend and I wrote this through role play over text, and I edited it into story format. She wrote Itachi's part, and I supplied Kisame's. Enjoy!]
1. Chapter 1

Leading the way towards a religious temple to retrieve a jutsu for Leader, with his normal emotionless face, collar pulled up to cover his mouth, and ponytail tucked into collar, Itachi was deep in thought. Normally, you'd believe Itachi was thinking about the mission, calculating every possibility that could go wrong. But on the contrary, his thoughts were filled with a certain shark man. This Uchiha did indeed have emotions, and deep down realized he loved the older man, but kept these feelings to himself. He was sure Kisame thinks of him as nothing but a partner, or some kid he needs to babysit. And besides, Uchihas are supposed to have no emotions, to be the perfect shinobi... Right? Following Itachi, using his cloak to cover face and Samehada in its usual place on his back, Kisame tried to keep his thoughts focused on the mission, but they kept straying back to a certain black haired individual. After working with him for a while, Kisame began to realize his affection towards Itachi. He told himself over and over that he didn't love or even was fond of Itachi, but it didn't work. Itachi was constantly in his thoughts. Kisame hid these feelings, believing there was no way Itachi would ever feel the same. All Uchihas are supposed to be emotionless, is how Kisame reasoned with himself. Gazing straight ahead, Itachi scolded himself in his head for thinking about the tall man behind him instead of completing the mission, a shinobi needs to carry out all orders and be precise. Eventually now, while nearing the temple, his gaze would shift to the corner of his eyes at his crush. He knew how childish he sounded when saying that word, but Kisame probably thought of him as a child. He was eleven years younger than him, after all. Kisame was probably happy to watch the Uchiha fall to his younger brother eventually. He took one last glance at the shark-like man before looking up at the temple ahead of them, stopping in his tracks. Kisame was pulled abruptly out of his thoughts about his feelings for Itachi when he stopped walking. Surprised, he glanced at Itachi, wondering why they stopped. Itachi probably wanted to plan how to retrieve the jutsu. Kisame sighed. It was never straight forward, the way he liked things. He wanted it to be simple. Get in, obtain the jutsu, and get out. But it was never like that. It was always plan, plan, plan. Kisame liked two things: Fighting and, though he didn't want to admit it, Itachi.

Itachi continued staring at temple. "We'll stick with our regular plan..." he stated in his normal monotone. Itachi began walking up the endless amount of stairs, holding kunais in his hands and shurikens. Kisame smirked behind his collar. For once we actually get to fight, he thought. He followed Itachi, readying himself and his sword, Samehada, for battle.

"The jutsu is said to be in a chest in the main hallway..." Itachi said; his eyes flash on his Sharingan, as he takes the last step of the stairs and walks into the temple, already ready for battle. Kisame quickened his pace to walk about five meters parallel to Itachi.

"We'll find it," Kisame assured him. Itachi was silent for a moment before responding.

"We're already short on time; you go on ahead to the jutsu." Itachi watched a few ninjas jump down from the ceiling, his face not changing when they start charging at him, and the Uchiha swiftly dodged every kunai or shuriken aimed at him. Kisame nodded and darted to the shadows of the temple, making his way towards where the chest is supposed to be.

"It's just ahead..." He mumbled, wanting the mission to end quickly. Itachi threw a few shuriken and kunais, each precisely hitting the shinobi in the abdomen, not using his Sharingan on them unless he had too. Kisame found the chest and was about to pry it open, but was attacked by a shinobi. He grinned and easily defeated the ninja with Samehada; Kisame enjoyed combat. He then turned his attention back to the chest and pried it open. Itachi watched the remaining shinobis collapse onto their knees, and begins to walk over to Kisame's way, down the hallway. Kisame found the chest empty and slammed it shut.

"God damn it." Kisame hissed and began to look for other places the jutsu could be. Itachi noticed Kisame searching and did the same, scanning the area for the jutsu, still ready if any more shinobi appear. Kisame, finding nothing, growled angrily.

Kisame gave vent to a frustrated snarl as he continued searching. "Where the hell could it be? They must have known we were coming and took it somewhere else."

"Hn..." Itachi began to run his hands over the walls. "Check the walls...There may be a secret passage." He added pressure slightly on the walls, listening for a click and feeling for a crack in the wall. The shark-like man mirrored Itachi, grumbling under his breath about this being stupid and a waste of time. Itachi continued to run his hands along the walls until he heard a click and pushed the wall slightly open and peered in before walking in and glancing around. Kisame turned around in time to see Itachi disappear into a secret passage in the wall. He immediately followed, hoping the jutsu was in the secret room and it wasn't another dead end. The Uchiha started glancing towards the many piled chests and started looking through them, many just being fake chests, meant to distract someone from finding the true chest in the pile. Kisame started opening chests as well, tossing aside the empty ones. With each new fake chest, he cursed under his breath. Were they ever going to find this damned jutsu? Kisame thought. Itachi slowly opened the lid to a small golden chest with green embroidery and found an aged scroll with kanji written on it and picked up the jutsu; slipping it up cloak sleeve where he kept everything he needed for missions.

"I found it..." Itachi said to Kisame. "Let's get going to the hotel, it's too dark to travel back." He knew what would come next, get mistaken for a lady at the hotel, AGAIN, and would sleep on the floor. He'd rather be uncomfortable rather than the shark man... He'd probably complain, and he wanted the man to feel comfortable...It was cold on the floors of the inn, and worse since he was sensitive to the cold, but he survived it every mission. Kisame sighed. They could rest now, after two days of nonstop traveling to get here. But this meant staying at a hotel, where people would think Itachi was a woman, AGAIN. And he would sleep on the floor without protest, AGAIN. And though Kisame always wanted offer him the bed, he didn't quite know how to offer it without showing his true feelings for Itachi. So he kept silent and instead always gave Itachi the warmer blanket.

With the jutsu up his sleeve, he headed out of the secret passage and out the hallway, secretly eager to get a good night's rest on the floor. He gotten used to sleeping on the floor, but in his thoughts he wanted to lay on the bed next to his partner. But he knew with common sense that would be very awkward for his partner, who would be freaked out of his mind. Kisame followed Itachi swiftly out of the passage, anticipating getting back to the inn to sleep. He felt guilty about always getting the bed. He was perpetually debating the idea of suggesting sharing the bed to Itachi, but he always dismissed it. Although Kisame would have loved to sleep next to Itachi he told himself that Itachi would probably think he was even more of a freak and never talk to him again. So he just stayed quiet and hoped Itachi didn't hate him for always having to sleep on the floor. Itachi exited the temple, suppressing a yawn. He had this problem of being a little paranoid... When they had no inn to stay at during the first few days of the travel; they would hide under some trees or in a cave and take shifts for watch. He would always try to fall asleep when Kisame was on watch, and he trusted his partner, but he was so aware of his surroundings that if he got any sleep if he was lucky. He'd just remain watching the mouth of the cave. Of course, as an Uchiha, he would never admit these things. Kisame left the temple and started down the stairs behind Itachi quickly, watching him all the while. He liked walking in the back so he could watch Itachi and, if the need arose, protects him, although he would never admit this to himself, let alone anyone else. The tall man was anxious to get back to the inn and sleep. During his watches, Kisame was always alert, but it gave him time to think about his feelings for Itachi and debate the possibility of the Uchiha feeling the same way. But to Kisame, the answer always ended up being the same: Itachi is an Uchiha, and Uchihas are trained to never feel or express emotion.

Itachi left his Sharingan on, being aware for any remaining shinobi that they didn't catch earlier. He knew Kisame was more tired, and that's why he had Kisame take the bed. He wondered if Kisame was more worn out than him, having to drag Samehada around all the time. Kisame had a great amount of chakra, and his muscles probably helped him lug that thing around all day. The raven-haired man blinked and then went back to his normal expression, realizing he was thinking of Kisame's muscles. Once he thought about them he couldn't control his thoughts. Itachi let out a small sneeze as he watched snowy flakes starting to softly stick onto the ground, and he glared at them, knowing he probably caught something... He glanced up and saw the inn, increasing his speed slightly to get there sooner. Kisame glanced at Itachi worriedly. He hoped Itachi hadn't caught a cold or anything. His first thought was that he didn't want to catch whatever Itachi had. But his second thought was that maybe if Itachi got cold, he could offer to share or even give Itachi the bed so he was warm. And then maybe he could see Itachi smile. But Kisame dismissed the last part as mere fantasy. He was sure he'd never see the Uchiha smile. But this could be his chance to do something kind for Itachi. Might as well go for it, he decided. He walked into the inn with another small sneeze before confronting the front desk woman, who did the same thing as all the others, assuming the Uchiha was a woman. Kisame glanced again at the Uchiha, hoping he wasn't seriously sick. Hopefully, it was just dust in the air making him sneeze. But Kisame doubted it. Itachi glanced down at the room number and walked down the long hallway, spotting the number of the room he unlocked the room and stepped inside. He took off his cloak and hung it on a coat rack and decided he'll take his shower in the morning. The raven haired man took a blanket and sat on the floor with a small coughing fit, ready for the cold night. Kisame took off his cloak and hung it up, deciding to take a shower. He didn't like showering in the morning, when it was extremely cold the second the water stopped.

"Hey, Itachi. Would you like the bed...? You shouldn't be cold all night and get even sicker." Kisame asked.

"I'm not sick... Or cold." He lied down on the floor, curling up into the ball with a sneeze. His 'manly' Uchiha pride would not be destroyed by a minor cold. He had a reputation to uphold.

Kisame looked at Itachi but averted his gaze quickly. He had tried. The older man was too tired to argue any further so instead he left and took a shower, trying not to think about Itachi. It didn't work. The black haired man seemed to always consume his thoughts, no matter how hard he tried to focus on other things. Maybe he could put Itachi in the bed when he was asleep. Kisame was certainly strong enough. He dried off, put his clothes on, and went back to the room. Asleep in a curled up ball was Itachi, whom fell asleep while Kisame was in the shower. He was clutching onto the blankets, slightly shivering in his sleep. The Uchiha's cheeks were slightly rosy from the cold and he had his head tucked under the blankets. Kisame knew this was probably his only chance to do something nice for Itachi that might show his feelings without telling him directly. He took a deep breath and picked up Itachi extremely carefully, so as not to wake him. Kisame carried the black haired man to the bed and put the remaining blankets over him. He then wrapped his cloak around himself and lay in the Uchiha's place on floor, happy to have finally done something kind for Itachi. Despite all the layers of blankets he had over himself, he continued to shiver, murmuring something under his breath, as he clutched onto the pillows with his hair covering his face. Kisame realized if he wanted Itachi to be warm, he would probably have to sleep next to him in the bed. A blush started to creep over his cheeks as he thought about it. But it was probably the only way, so Kisame got up, extremely nervous, and walked over to the bed. He bit his lip, wanting to go back to the floor, trying to convince himself that while it would keep Itachi warm, the Uchiha would hate it and think Kisame was even more of a freak than he already did. But Kisame wanted nothing more than to sleep next to his partner. After struggling mentally for a minute more, Kisame finally very slowly and carefully lay down next to Itachi and wrapped his large arms around the shivering Uchiha. He was deathly afraid of how Itachi would react when he woke up, but convinced himself it was the best choice. Itachi's shivering began to disappear; now hat he was getting more warmth. He never slept in the same bed as anyone before, so he was never aware he did intimate things in his sleep. He curled up to Kisame, entwining his legs with the taller mans, burying face in and nuzzling Kisame's chest, and softly spoke the man's name.

"Kisame..." Itachi whispered. Kisame blushed deeply. He was sure Itachi was asleep, but he just said his name. Kisame decided to talk to Itachi, and if he was asleep see if he felt the same way as he did.

"Y-yes...?" Kisame mumbled in response. The Uchiha just remained silent, but cuddling closer to the shark, a relaxed expression on face. He reached up and gently caressed the man's cheek, running his thumb softly over Kisame's gills. The older man was completely unsure of what to do. He had never been in a romantic relationship before, so he just lay there with his arms around Itachi, blushing furiously and internally panicking. The Uchiha's onyx eyes opened slowly. Itachi blinked his dark eyelashes, feeling strong arms around him and a well-built chest in his face. He began to blush, something he never done anything like this before in his life, and began thinking he might have a fever. Instinctively he slipped out from the arms and scooted away, staring at the shark-like man.

"...Kisame?" The shark-like man started to panic even more. Itachi was awake. He didn't know what to say so he pulled his arms away from the Uchiha and turned away, while trying to keep his blush hidden. All he could manage to choke out were two quiet words.

"I… I'm sorry," Kisame stuttered.

"I...It's alright...But why was I-" Itachi swallowed, not used to saying such words, "-cuddling with you...?" Still facing away from Itachi, Kisame forced the words out to explain what he had been doing.

"You were cold. I-I gave you the blankets and put you on the bed but you were still shivering. So I... I tried to warm you up by... C-Cuddling with you." Kisame's cheeks darkened sharply in colour. Itachi didn't know why these words came out of his mouth but they did.

"...Did you ...Enjoy cuddling with me...?" He asked quietly. Kisame was so stunned and embarrassed that he couldn't say anything for a few seconds. Then his voice returned.

"Y-yes..." Kisame replied, blushing furiously, not believing what he was saying. Itachi's blush returned, deepening into crimson. He opened his mouth to try and say something, but he remained silent for a few more seconds.

"I... I did as well." Itachi stared at the wall in front of him, mentally slapping himself. *Kisame tried to process what he just heard. There was no way Itachi would ever say anything like that. He couldn't believe what he heard, so Kisame tried to convince himself he was imagining things. But he had to know if Itachi had actually said what he thought he heard. He turned back towards Itachi.

"Wh-what?" Kisame stuttered. Itachi continued to look at the wall.

"I...enjoyed it..." His blush somehow deepened to a maroon. Kisame just lay there for a moment, completely caught off guard. This can't be happening, he reasoned with himself. But part of him assured Kisame his mind wasn't playing a trick on him. Hesitantly, Kisame wrapped his arms around Itachi's torso and pulled him up against his chest. All while his blush darkened. Itachi blinked, surprised and sneezed softly before twisting his body to turn to Kisame and bury face in his chest, not knowing how to even do anything anymore. It was like his body was moving by itself, for his dreams were actually coming true. He couldn't believe someone as perfect as Kisame would like someone as evil, or rude as himself.

Kisame had no experience in what to do, but instinct guided him and he intertwined his legs with Itachi's and leaned his head on top of the Uchiha's. How could anyone like a freak like me...? Kisame wondered.

Itachi enjoyed the warmth from Kisame... It didn't only warm him in body heat, but inside his heart... His heart was always alone like the Uchiha was, but now, it was like something or someone managed to squeeze into his heart...

"...I love you." He blushed, not intending to say those words at this moment, but he still said them. He didn't mean to even though it was true, but his lips just moved on his own. Kisame's blush flared again. And without realizing it, he responded to Itachi's confession.

"I-I love you too." Kisame said slowly.

Itachi's eyes widened and he took his face out of Kisame's chest to look up at him. He couldn't believe this. The shark who he loved so much, whose smile made him want to squeal like one of those fangirls stalking the base was confessing his love for him, an emotionless Uchiha. He knew his smile wouldn't be as nice as Kisame's, it would probably be a bunch of odd twisted smirks, but a smile formed on his lips.

Kisame's heart almost stopped as he saw Itachi smile. It made him want to kiss Itachi, but he knew he didn't have the courage to. He bit his lip, how could someone as handsome as Itachi love a shark? He thought.

Itachi's smile faded, just now realizing he smiled. Something he hasn't done for 8 years. He didn't know what went wrong with his body, why he was so happy... Now that Kisame had seen Itachi smile, he wanted nothing more than to see it again. He smiled at Itachi, hoping to see the Uchiha's face light up again. He had no idea why his lips kept moving but they formed into a smile yet again, seeing his now lover smiling at him. Kisame's small smile widened as he saw Itachi smile again. He so desperately wanted to kiss Itachi, but he couldn't bring himself to. He knew it was cowardly, but he couldn't help it. He just didn't know what to do.

Again, Itachi's body was uncontrollable. Itachi pushed his lips against Kisame's gently, kissing the man softly. Kisame froze. He didn't know what to do. But instinct took control of his body and he found himself kissing Itachi slowly. Itachi's hands wrapped around the shark's neck, and he scooted up closer to the man. Kisame's lips weren't rough like the rest of his skin. They were more chapped, but not to the point where his lips were peeling. He began matching his lip movements with Kisame's, kissing him sweetly. Kisame's hands seemed to move of their own accord. It took him a moment to realize he was gently running his hands up and down Itachi's back. Itachi tensed up, but then relaxed into the hands rubbing his back. Itachi gently tangled his fingers into Kisame's spiky hair; it felt damp and smooth against the Uchiha's fingers. Itachi closed his eyes in bliss as Kisame let his instincts take full control of him. He very hesitantly and gently bit Itachi's bottom lip, unsure of how he would respond. He felt the bite on his lip and gasped softly, not expecting that, leaving his mouth open slightly as his pale fingers ran down Kisame's neck. Kisame slipped his tongue into Itachi's mouth, gently massaging the black haired man's tongue with his own. The Uchiha moaned softly, as his tongue started to awake and slowly licked the sharks; he shuddered from the feel of Kisame's tongue. Kisame explored the Uchiha's entire mouth, growing more confident as the kiss went on. The raven haired man was beyond embarrassed; he didn't know what he was doing. Eventually as the kiss went longer he broke away for much needed air. Listening to his instincts, Kisame kissed down Itachi's neck gently as he caught his breath. Shuddering at every kiss Kisame planted on his skin, Itachi let out a very small moan, trying to steady his breathing. Kisame kissed all around Itachi's neck, trying to find his weak spot. When Kisame placed a kiss on the crook of his neck, he gasped softly, his heart starting to beat rapidly. Kisame returned to the crook of Itachi's neck and began sucking sweetly on his weak spot. Itachi tilted his head back. He shuddered with blush on face, closing eyes in bliss. The Uchiha's grip tightened slightly on Kisame, but not hard enough to hurt him, while holding in a loud moan. Kisame pressed closer into Itachi, sucking harder on his skin. The black haired man's bangs fell off his face, his hair tie slowly coming undone as he arched his back slightly releasing the moan he was holding in, fingers holding onto Kisame's hair tightly. Kisame bit the Uchiha's weak spot gently, wanting to hear him moan again. He squirmed slightly, moaning loudly, mentally fumbling with words, only to be able to say one name: Kisame's.

"Kisame...That feels nice yet weird..." he said bluntly, while blushing darkly. Kisame removed his lips from Itachi's neck and buried his face in the Uchiha's silky black hair. He hoped Itachi couldn't see how deeply he was blushing; he still couldn't believe he kissed Itachi. Itachi raised his pale hand and placed it on the back of Kisame's head, running his fingers through the older man's spiky hair. Kisame tightened his grip on Itachi, pulling him as close as possible, so there was no empty space between them. Now that he finally had Itachi in his arms, didn't want to ever let go. Itachi snuggled up against the shark man, this usually only happening in his dreams. Itachi buried his face in Kisame's chest, finding it very comfortable. Still guided by his instincts, Kisame removed one hand from Itachi's back to tangle it in his soft hair. He smiled slightly, wanting to stay like this forever. Itachi closed his eyes, holding onto Kisame, feeling the emptiness in his heart shine and butterflies fluttering wildly in his stomach. Kisame slowly intertwined his legs with Itachi's, hoping it was the right thing to do. Kisame remembered how Itachi had been sick and wondered if he was feeling better.

"Are you feeling better?" He questioned Itachi quietly. The Uchiha nodded, his face hidden in Kisame's chest.

"Now that you're here..." Kisame's blush reappeared.

"Th-that's good," was all he could say. Itachi nodded weakly due to being tired.

"I'm going to sleep... Goodnight..." Itachi whispered tiredly.

"Mhm." Kisame acknowledged him quietly and adjusted slightly so Itachi could have a comfortable sleeping position. The Uchiha then fell asleep, sleeping peacefully with Kisame, face relaxed unlike his normal frown or glare, listening to Kisame's heartbeat. Kisame tried to fall asleep as well, but too many thoughts were tumbling around in his head and crowding his mind. He sighed, knowing he probably wouldn't get any sleep. But it didn't matter to him that much. He had Itachi. His dreams started off with Kisame.

He mumbled into Kisame's chest, "Kisame... Mine..." Kisame began blushing again as Itachi mumbled his name into his chest. Did he always say things like this while asleep? Kisame wondered. His dream began to wander off back into Itachi's worries. He mumbled something softly into Kisame's chest.

"Hm?" Kisame had always been curious what Itachi dreamed about. His past? His fears? And now that he knew Itachi felt the same way as him, Kisame himself? He never asked out of politeness, and worry that Itachi would think Kisame was rude.

"Otouto..." Itachi mumbled, louder this time, with a slightly troubled facial expression. Kisame's eyes widened slightly as he realized Itachi was dreaming about Sasuke. He probably was worried his brother would find and kill him. It was a rational fear. After all, Itachi had killed the entire Uchiha clan except Sasuke.


	2. Chapter 2

[Hey, guys! I'm glad you enjoyed the first part! There's a LOT more to come, so I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to Sofi for writing this with me. I forgot to mention that this Fanfic is dedicated to Anastasia (Misaki) and Dani (Leader) so if you're reading this, we love you, and this is for you! *Gai gives a thumbs up* LET'S GO~]

"I wish we could... Go back... " Itachi whispered in his sleep. He watched his nightmare play out, watching his whole life starting to crumble... His family was gone, Mikoto who cared for him so much... They all trusted him and yet he turned on them...

Kisame pulled the Uchiha up slightly and rested his forehead against Itachi's, trying to comfort him though he was asleep.

"I'm sorry..." Kisame whispered to Itachi. The black haired man relaxed slightly at Kisame's touch and the shark-like man began to soothingly rub Itachi's back, trying to calm him down more. His lips closed, done with his rambling, and fell into a deep sleep. Kisame smiled tiredly. But it was still impossible for him to fall asleep. There was too much on his mind.

[Time skip: Morning]

Itachi opened his black eyes and rubbed them, now awake as he shifted his gaze towards the shark. Kisame disliked his appearance, but personally, he loved it. Kisame had managed to fall asleep, though when he had it had been very late into the night. He was still sleeping soundly, arms wrapped around Itachi. Itachi didn't want to wake Kisame up, so he listened to the older man's steady heart beat and admired his features. Kisame slowly opened his eyes a few minutes later, to find himself staring into Itachi's onyx ones. He suppressed a yawn.

"Morning..." He greeted Itachi.

"Morning..." Itachi replied sleepily. He sat up and rubbed his eyes again. Kisame sat up next to Itachi, still half asleep.

"D-Did you sleep well...?" He asked Itachi.

"Yes...Only because I had someone to cuddle with... You?"

Kisame's blush reappeared again.

"It took me a while to fall asleep, but other than that, I did too." He explained.

"Oh... How come?" Itachi crawled out of bed, his hair in a messed up ponytail.

"Just... Too much on my mind, I guess..." Kisame got out of the bed as well, yawning.

"Hn... I'm going to take a shower..." Itachi said. He grabbed a change of clothes and a towel, walking into the bathroom. Kisame nodded and changed clothes while Itachi was out of the room. He sat back down on the bed and ran his hands through his perpetually damp hair.

"What's going to happen now...?" He wondered aloud.

Itachi took a quick shower, slipped on his clothes and walked out of the bathroom, towel over his hair, drying it off. Kisame looked up as Itachi entered the room but quickly looked away again, blushing slightly. He was unsure of what to say after last what happened last night.

Itachi took the towel off his head and blinked at Kisame, confused as to why he was looking away. Kisame avoided Itachi's eyes, feeling the Uchiha's gaze on him. He had never been good at anything besides fighting. Love was, after all, a whole new concept to him.

"...Is something the matter?" Itachi asked Kisame, placing his towel in the hamper.

"Nothing's wrong. It's... I... Nothing," Kisame forced himself to say. Itachi was unsure about Kisame's answer and he sat down on the floor, thinking of what he could have possibly done wrong. Kisame realized Itachi may have taken his answer the wrong way and thought he did something wrong. So he hastened to explain.

"I'm just... Love is... sort of a new concept for me... I've never really done anything besides fighting..." Kisame told Itachi.

"Oh...I'm the same way..." He glanced up at Kisame. The older man met Itachi's glance, his cheeks still burning slightly pink.

Itachi was reminded suddenly how once he talked in his sleep and Hidan caught in on camera and therefore blackmailed him.

"Did I... Say anything in my sleep?"

"Yeah... You said 'Otouto'..." Kisame replied slowly, wondering why Itachi was asking.

The Uchiha's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, returning his face back to its normal emotionless expression.

"I suppose you should know..." Kisame stayed silent, watching Itachi's face intently, patiently waiting for him to explain. The younger man stared at the ground, thinking on how to word what he wanted to say.

"I need to tell you about my past... In order for you to understand..." Itachi said slowly.

"Okay..." The older man replied, slightly unsure. Kisame had always wanted to hear Itachi's version of his past, but never asked, knowing it would probably be painful to recount. Itachi's gaze shifted back up at the shark-like man.

"When I still lived in Konoha... At age 13 I was assigned a special mission that only I could carry out, being used as a double agent..." Itachi began. Kisame nodded slowly. He was watching Itachi carefully; wondering if was going to show emotion during the story. The younger man's expression remained the same, although his onyx eyes softened slightly.

"The Uchihas were currently planning a war... My mission was to annihilate the clan, so we wouldn't have another war..." He frowned slightly, eyes saddening. "It was either that or to have many more innocent people die..."

"Oh. I see," Kisame mumbled.

Itachi continued slowly, "I killed my clan the day before the day I appeared at the Akatsuki, but... I couldn't kill Sasuke... I told him I did this measure my capacity, because the lies I've created would help him become stronger..." Kisame eyes widened fractionally. He was beginning to see the burden Itachi carried with him each day. Why he appeared so cold and emotionless.

Itachi knew he had to hide that he was spying on the Akatsuki and that Madara had help him, considering Madara only wants a few people to know he was alive. "But ever since Sasuke joined Orochimaru, its only making my job harder...I'm planning to have him return to Konoha, and get the curse mark off of him..." He swallowed, not wanting to tell Kisame how he plans on doing that. The shark-like man nodded slowly.

"That's... Certainly a heavy burden to have..." He thought Itachi was done talking, and got up, beginning to get ready to leave to head back to the Akatsuki base.

"Yes... But... You need to continue to listen; you are a part of my future plans," Itachi stated. Kisame froze.

"W-What?" Kisame forced himself to say, silently cursing himself for stuttering.

"When Sasuke finds me... I plan on going against him, alone. I'll need you to distract his teammates..." Itachi explained. Kisame nodded slowly.

"I can do that for you..." he replied.

"I need you to be prepared," Itachi continued. "So I'll tell you my plan... I'm not going to return to the Akatsuki once the battle is over with." Kisame's eyes widened, but he nodded again. His thoughts were in chaos. Itachi leave the Akatsuki? Leave him? The older man didn't want to think about it.

"In case you don't understand," The Uchiha forced himself to say. "To put it bluntly... I'm planning to die at Sasuke's feet," Itachi sighed heavily. Kisame wanted to yell at Itachi. He couldn't die. Not after what happened between them. But a sudden thought struck Kisame. Maybe Itachi wanted to forget about that. It felt as though his heart was being cut out. But Kisame nodded again, biting his lip, struggling not to let the tears threatening to fall escape his eyes. He fought to keep his face empty of emotion. Itachi stood up and walked over to Kisame, hugging him from behind.

"I still want to spend my days at your side though... Alright?" Itachi added quietly. Kisame blushed. He turned around and wrapped his arms around Itachi.

"O-okay," Kisame mumbled, extremely relieved.

A pink tinted his cheeks as he hugged back, but he enjoyed the warmth of the hug, feeling as if he was hugging the whole world, because to Itachi, Kisame was his whole world. Kisame hid his face, still blushing, in Itachi's black hair. His grip tightened slightly to pull Itachi closer. Kisame's instincts kept taking control whenever Itachi got close to him. They were in silence but it was a comfortable one. Kisame gently kissed the top of Itachi's head, wanting to hold onto him forever. But he knew that wasn't possible.

"We probably should get going..." Itachi said reluctantly. He released the hug around Kisame, enjoying the last few seconds of the embrace.

"Yeah..." Kisame finished packing in silence and picked up Samehada, ready to leave. Itachi quickly packed up and slipped on his cloak.

"Well...Let's go," Itachi said quietly and walked out of the room. Kisame followed Itachi silently, hoping nothing would happen on the way back to the base. He just wanted to get back. He told himself to worry about his emotions later. But now more than ever, he couldn't stop thinking about Itachi.

[Time skip: Base]

Itachi had just finished the mission report to Pein, and walked out of his office.

Kisame was outside, trying to figure out how to get rid of the blood on the bandages that covered Samehada. He wanted to wash them, but he couldn't figure out whether or not to take them off the sword. It didn't help that his thoughts kept straying back to Itachi; or more specifically, how it felt to kiss Itachi. Itachi was now slightly bored, wondering if he should speak to Kisame. Itachi told himself that Kisame probably wanted some time alone, instead of being around his lover all the time. So Itachi sat on the couch and began to read. Kisame finally just gave up; he was too distracted to think about anything but Itachi. He wanted to talk to him, but when he went inside, Itachi was reading. So Kisame just turned to leave, not wanting to bother him. The Uchiha heard Kisame's footsteps and slowly closed his book with a small, dull thud.

"Kisame?" Itachi said.

"Oh, I was just leaving. I didn't want to distract you..." Kisame replied.

"It's alright... You weren't," Itachi told him.

"Oh. Was there something you needed?" Kisame asked slowly. Itachi shook his head.

"I just wanted you to stay with me…" Itachi explained.

"Oh." Kisame walked over and sat next to Itachi on the couch. He slowly wrapped his arms around the Uchiha. Itachi leaned on his side to rest his head on Kisame's shoulder and closed his eyes. Kisame closed his eyes and slowly pulled Itachi closer to him. Itachi climbed onto Kisame's lap and leaned backwards to rest against Kisame's chest; Kisame blushed lightly and leaned forward a little to nibble on the side of his neck. The Uchiha began to blush and shuddered slightly at the nibble, and opened his eyes. Kisame kept his eyes closed, blushing furiously. He kissed Itachi's neck gently, tightening his grip around Itachi's waist. Itachi shuddered again, making a soft whisper like moan, his hands on Kisame's. The shark-like man sucked gently on the younger man's skin, running his hands across his stomach lightly. Itachi's blush deepened as he shuddered, his moan slightly louder now. Kisame gently bit the side of Itachi's neck, holding him tightly in his arms. The Uchiha tilted his back, blushing, another moan escaping his small lips, as he gripped onto Kisame's hands. The older man began to gently kiss up Itachi's neck to his jawline. He lightly nipped the skin along Itachi's jaw, slowly traveling towards his lips. The blush only continued to grow as he interlaced fingers with Kisame, shuddering at every kiss until Kisame's lips met his. Kisame kissed Itachi gently, gripping his hands just as tightly. Itachi wrapped his arms around Kisame's neck as their fingers interlace, curling up closer to Kisame. The tall man pressed closer to Itachi, deepening the kiss. Kisame put one hand on the Uchiha's cheek, gently caressing his face. Itachi nuzzled his cheek against Kisame's hand, and slowly licked Kisame's lips.

It was so weird to see Kisame like this, Itachi thought. So gentle. No matter what Kisame was acting like, he remained the only thing Itachi had in life to look forward to. Kisame began to suck gently on Itachi's bottom lip, trailing his hand down Itachi's face to rest lightly on his back. Itachi moaned softly into the kiss, relaxing into Kisame's touch, fingers lightly drawing designs on the back of his blue neck. Kisame shivered at the feeling of Itachi's hands on his neck, and gently nipped Itachi's lip. Itachi's fingers slowly ran up into Kisame's hair, gently tangling in it as the Uchiha opened his mouth slowly. Kisame shuddered at Itachi's fingers in his hair. He slid his tongue slowly into Itachi's mouth, trying to keep his teeth away from Itachi as best he could. Truthfully, Itachi didn't mind if Kisame accidently bit him, but he slowly caressed Kisame's tongue with his. Kisame pulled his tongue back but kept his mouth open. Itachi took advantage of this and slipped his tongue into Kisame's mouth, exploring it. Kisame caressed Itachi's tongue with his, careful to avoid his sharp teeth, tightening his grip on Itachi's waist slightly. Itachi caught Kisame's tongue and slowly sucked on it, wondering his reaction would be. Kisame's blush immediately darkened and he let out a quiet moan, but he didn't try to stop Itachi. The Uchiha sucked a bit harder on his tongue, going chest to chest with Kisame. Kisame moaned louder, his hands clutching Itachi's cloak tightly. Itachi released Kisame's tongue and broke this kiss for air, breathing unevenly. Kisame's cheeks were covered in a huge blush and his breathing was uneven. He slowly released his tight grip on Itachi's cloak. Itachi had a blush on his face and started to steady out his breath, taking arms from his neck he wrapped them around Kisame's torso, hugging him. Kisame leaned back, holding Itachi against his chest. His heart was beating so fast its rhythm was almost irregular. The shark-like man closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. The black haired man listened to the sound of his lover's heartbeat, its rhythm was erratic, he noted as he leaned onto Kisame's chest. He looked up from Kisame's chest to his face. Kisame opened his eyes and looked down at Itachi, his eyes meeting Itachi's onyx ones as his chest heaved. He smiled slowly as he stared down at the Uchiha's handsome face. A tiny smile appeared on Itachi's lips, so small it was barely visible. His wide onyx eyes studied Kisame, watching his lover's beautiful eyes stare down at him, and looked at the gills he fell in love with, the ones that he loves. He eyed Kisame's muscular build, which was one thing that made Itachi go all fangirlish. Kisame removed his hand from Itachi's back and placed it back on the Uchiha's cheek.

"Why are you so handsome...?" Kisame asked quietly.

Itachi blinked and looked at Kisame. "I'm not..." Kisame's smile widened.

"You're the one who used to have fangirls," He reasoned.

"Well...You've always had a fan boy," Itachi countered. Kisame chuckled quietly.

"I guess that's true," he replied. Itachi nodded.

"I'm glad I don't have to deal with your fangirls since leader changed our base location... I would have gotten all protective." Kisame stifled a laugh.

"I may or may not scare the life out of the fangirls if they come near you again..." Itachi chuckled softly.

"You look too fine to scare anyone."

"That's what you think. I'm a shark. People tend to be afraid of those."

"The Akatsuki aren't." Kisame grinned.

"I've never used Samehada on them." Itachi chuckled and kissed the tall man's cheek softly.

"I admire you..." The shark-like man's cheeks darkened slightly.

"Th-thank you...?" He said hesitantly.

"You have a personality that can make someone like me smile... Only you can do that," Itachi whispered to Kisame. The older man's grin widened and his blush deepened slightly.

"You are the only person to ever make me feel love," Kisame relied lovingly. Itachi snuggled his face in the crook of the older man's neck.

"Not sure if that's good or bad..." Itachi said slowly. The blue-skinned man rested his hand on the Uchiha's head.

"I think it's a good thing..." He assured Itachi. The black haired man looked up at Kisame.

"Good." Kisame leaned down and kissed Itachi's lips softly. He kissed back gently, tilting head up slightly. Kisame drew his tongue across his lover's bottom lip slowly. Itachi opened his mouth slowly, allowing Kisame access. The shark man pushed his tongue into Itachi's mouth slowly. He rubbed his tongue up against the Uchiha's, hoping to get a good reaction. Itachi gasped softly, tensing up a bit and then moaned. Kisame massaged Itachi's tongue slowly, while gently running his hands up and down the Uchiha's sides. Itachi moaned loudly, arms linking around his neck. Kisame blushed, but kept rubbing his tongue against Itachi's. He leaned against Kisame, lightly pushing him down on the couch. The tall man leaned back, blushing even more and his heart began to beat erratically. Straddling Kisame's hips and kissing him softly, Itachi's hair brushed softly against Kisame's neck. His lover kissed back gently, tangling his in Itachi's silky black hair. The Uchiha's tie began falling out as he broke the kiss and started to kiss down Kisame's neck. The older man gripped the back of Itachi's cloak tightly, his body responding involuntarily to every kiss Itachi planted on his sensitive skin. He started searching for his lover's weak spot, kissing each part of Kisame's neck lightly. The shark man jolted violently when Itachi kissed the crook of his neck and his blush abruptly darkened. Itachi smirked and slowly, agonizingly licked the spot, teeth grazing it. Kisame bit his lip, struggling to hold in his moan. He closed his eyes, tightening his grip on Itachi's cloak as much as he could. The Uchiha felt the tension on his jacket and bit down softly on the spot, licking it in between his teeth. Kisame let out a loud moan and bit his lip harder afterwards, fighting the urge to moan again. Itachi bit harder on the spot but not enough to hurt his lover too much. Kisame couldn't take it and moaned as loud as he could, shaking underneath Itachi as he struggled to form words.

"I-Itachi..." The tall man choked out.

"Hm?" Itachi licked Kisame's skin one more time before pulling away. Kisame's blush darkened even more.

"Th-that f-feels so... Good..." He mumbled, embarrassed. His hands gripping Itachi's cloak shook slightly. The Uchiha chuckled and sat back up. Kisame release his grip on his lover's cloak and sat up next to Itachi, his cheeks bright red. The black haired man chuckles slightly and kissed Kisame's cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

[Heeeyyyyyyy! I'm back! :D Sorry for being gone so long and sorry that this one is only a bout a 1/3 of the usual length. DX School sucks. Enjoy~]

"You're too good for me," Kisame sighed almost inaudibly, wrapping his large arms around Itachi's torso smoothly.

"Hm?" Itachi leaned his back against the shark's chest. Kisame blushed; he had hoped his partner would hear him.

"N-Nothing."

"Please tell me?"

"It's nothing, really." Itachi widened his eyes and formed his lips into a cute pout.

"Please?" The blue skinned man's cheeks turned a shade darker as he stared at his partner's face.

"I-I said you're too good for me."

"No I'm not. It's the other way around."

"No. I'm a freak and you're an Uchiha. You're handsome and skilled."

"You're sexy and cheerful."

"You're smart and hardworking."

"You're strong and sweet."

"You're cautious and caring."

"You're talkative but not annoying."

"You're intelligent but you don't flaunt it."

"You're tough during battles but care for certain people."

"You're Itachi. And you can't beat that, because you're perfect to me." The pale man blushed lightly at the comment.

"You're perfect to me also. You're beyond perfect," the Uchiha declared. Blushing lightly, Kisame wrapped his arms more firmly around Itachi's waist and pulled him close, resting his head on Itachi's shoulder. The Uchiha raised a hand up and rand his slim fingers through the blue spiked hair. He blinked, hearing Pein calling for him in his head and closed his black eyes, responding to the message. The pale man opened his eyes when the mission description was finished.

"Kisame, we have another mission..."

"What do we have to do?" the shark asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Kill a few men in a small hideout who are trying to sell info about the Akatsuki."

"That's simple enough." Kisame got up from the couch and left the room to get ready. Itachi did the same, heading up the stairs. He began packing lightly, anticipating a short mission. Kisame finished packing quickly and picked up Samehada, heading outside of the base to wait for Itachi. The Uchiha slipped his regular equipment up the sleeve of his cloak and walked out of the base, Sharigan on. The shark picked up his bandaged sword again and waited for Itachi to lead the way.

[Time Skip]

"We're here." He stared at the large stone cave.

"Be aware, it could be booby trapped," Itachi cautioned. Kisame nodded and carefully hefted Samehada off his shoulder, preparing for battle. He took out shurikens and dashed into the cave, skillfully putting chakra into his feet to run on the walls where no booby traps were. Kisame followed his partner on the opposite wall. The bandages began to unwrap from Samehada, making it ready for the fight that would ensue. Itachi jumped down from the wall, back onto the floor once they cleared the main hallway and found three shinobi discussing plans. The shark immediately drained all three shinobi of chakra and killed two easily using Samehada. The Sharigan user blinked, finding this too easy as he stabbed the other one in the abdomen and grabbed all the information that was laid on the table. He noticed about twenty-five more shinobis, all ANBU.

"Kisame, this may be too many to handle at once. Make a break for it." He started dodging kunais and shurikens, jumping backwards from water and rocks flying everywhere due to jutsus. The shark began retreating backwards as well, dodging and blocking the attacks with Samehada. Itachi sprinted out down the main hallway, forgetting about the booby traps since he was in such a rush. Both of the Akatsuki members heard a small click, their eyes widening, identifying the noise as a large harpoon. Kisame turned his back on the ANBU and sprinted forward, yanking Itachi out of the way. The blue skinned man shoved his partner forward.

"Run! The walls!" He turned around and began deflecting and dodging the attacks again but more and more got through his defense. Itachi stumbled forward and grabbed Kisame's hand, dragging him out of the cave, sending ravens towards the ANBUs to distract them.

"Thank you. Are you alright?" the Uchiha asked, his voice slightly concerned. The shark stifled a harsh cough with his hand.

"I-I'm fine. Y-" Kisame let loose another dissonant cough. "-You?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Itachi put chakra into his arms to be stronger and picked Kisame up, sprinting in the direction of the Akatsuki base. The blue skinned man frowned at being treated like an invalid, but his expression changed as he went into a fit of coughing. Pulling his hands away from his mouth, the shark cursed when he saw them stained with red.

"Shit."

The pale man looked over at Kisame and his eyes widened.

"Hang in there just a bit longer Kisame," He reassured his partner, running into a hidden cave and ducked inside, setting the shark down inside, unbuttoning his partner's cloak to check the severity of the injuries. His partner's chest had only one deep cut which was the source of the blood he was coughing up. The shark's back was much worse, the skin shredded with rocks still in it from all the jutsus. The Uchiha took out a roll of bandages and bound the blue man's chest and back snugly.

"It's all I can do at the moment," Itachi spoke in a soft, almost apologetic tone.

"Th-thank you," Kisame mumbled, biting lip against the searing pain. Itachi went to the front of the cave, looking out at the darkening sky.

"I'll be back quickly. I need to gather some firewood. Shout if you need me."

The older man nodded, sitting up and leaning against the wall of the cave. His breathing was ragged and his eyes closed as he fought against the agonizing pain he was feeling.

"And don't stand up for a while," Itachi instructed and dashed out, gathering kindling and larger logs for a good size fire. He came back, holding a bundle of firewood.

"I'm back..." He set the firewood down and placed dry moss on it before lighting it with a very small fireball. Kisame nodded slowly, his teeth clenched, eyes shut tightly, and hands curled into fists as he tried to combat the pain. The implanted pebbles and other things stuck in his torn skin from the jutsus were slowly draining his chakra. His partner walked over to with an expression of concern.

"Lie down and get some sleep. I'll keep watch," Itachi told the blue skinned man. Kisame lay down slowly, the blood from his lungs staining the cave floor a sickeningly bright red. The raven haired Akatsuki slowly rubbed his partner's back, his other hand gripping a kunai and his Sharigan on, just in case.

"I'm sorry," Itachi apologized to the shark quietly, something very uncharacteristic of him.

"It's not your f"-another cough-"fault," Kisame tried

"Don't speak; it's going to make you cough up more blood." The shark nodded in response, keeping his face impassive as he closed his eyes. He hated looking or feeling weak. The Uchiha stayed awake and by Kisame's side all night long, his Sharigan on and rubbing his partner's back in an attempt to soothe the coughs that ripped from the shark's throat.

The blue skinned man woke up

"You need to sleep."

"I'm alright; I'm more concerned about you."

"We need to get back t"-another harsh cough-"to the base."

"Not in your state," Itachi replied firmly.

"And tell Leader-sama about the"-*coughing fit*-"the ambush."

"It's going to take a full day to get there and I don't think I can carry you the whole time using chakra. Plus moving you will make your condition worse," the Uchiha argued.

"I'll be able to manage." Kisame choked out, spitting blood out of his mouth and grimacing at the taste of it lingering in his mouth.

"Don't strain yourself." The pale man pulled one of his partner's arms around his shoulders to support him.

"You're too tired. I-I can-" The shark suddenly doubled and blood spattered onto the cave floor.

"No you can't," his partner stated as he put chakra into his body and lifted Kisame onto his back. The Uchiha ran out of the cave, heading for the base as the shark protested weakly.

"Put me down. You can't carry me," he insisted faintly.

"Kisame, I can and I will," Itachi replied in a stubborn tone. The blue skinned man fell silent, holding in his coughs and channeling his last bits of chakra into his partner to help him. The pale Akatsuki felt the chakra seep into him and nodded in thanks. The older nin gave Itachi his last bit of chakra, and fell unconscious from blood loss; his back and chest wounds had been steady trickling. The Uchiha cursed and kept on running for another five hours, finally arriving at the base. What he observed worried him; the shark's skin was pale blue and the bandages around his torso were completely soaked through. He set Kisame in the Akatsuki infirmary, watched Kakuzu give him temporary stitches and Sasori change his bandages as he sat in a chair, watching the entire time.

[Time Skip: Three Days]

The shark woke up, completely disoriented and weak, all of his chakra gone.

"I-Itachi...?"


End file.
